Off-Duty Police Officer Shot
An off-duty Los Angeles police officer who was ordering a meal at a drive-through fast-food restaurant in Inglewood was shot in the hand Tuesday when he attempted to break up a robbery attempt, police said.
Darell Matthews, 25, a rookie assigned to patrol duty at the Van Nuys Station, was listed in good condition at Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital with a bullet wound to the left hand.
Matthews was waiting at the drive-through window at Church’s Fried Chicken on Century Boulevard shortly after 9 p.m. when a man walked up to the window with a revolver, police said.
Matthews tried to knock down the suspect with the door of his car and then attempted to disarm the man. During the struggle, the gunman fired once and fled. Matthews fired at the suspect with his own handgun but missed. The gunman escaped.
The Los Angeles Police Department’s officer-involved shooting team is assisting Inglewood police in the investigation.
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